Soka Gakkai International

Last updated
Soka Gakkai International
創価学会インターナショナル
AbbreviationSGI
FormationJanuary 26, 1975
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Revenue
donations and investments
Website www.sokaglobal.org

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation run by two vice-presidents including Hiromasa Ikeda. It was founded in 1975 by his father, Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai.

Contents

As of 2021, and for the past 30 years, the SGI claims approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territories, [1] more than 1.5 million of whom resided outside of Japan as of 2012. [2] But those numbers are controversial and impossible to verify. Recent scholarship estimate Soka Gakkai believers around 2.5 million people in Japan. [3]

SGI is one of the 6000 organizations awarded a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, since 1983. [4]

It also remains a controversial organization, due to the ambiguous reputation of the Japanese Soka Gakkai. Some countries consider it as a cult.

History

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was formed at a conference on January 26, 1975, on the island of Guam. [5] Representatives from 51 countries attended the meeting and chose Daisaku Ikeda to become the SGI's founding president. [5] The SGI was created in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. [6]

An SGI center in Chicago SGI-USA Chicago Culture Center.jpg
An SGI center in Chicago

The Soka Gakkai's initial global expansion began after World War II, when some Soka Gakkai members married mostly American servicemen and moved away from Japan. [7] Expansion efforts gained a further boost in 1960 when Ikeda succeeded Jōsei Toda as president of the Soka Gakkai. [8] [9] In the first year of his presidency, Ikeda visited the United States, Canada, and Brazil, and the Soka Gakkai's first American headquarters officially opened in Los Angeles in 1963. [8] [10]

In June 2015, the SGI-Italy was recognized by the Italian government with a special accord under Italian Constitution Article 8, acknowledging it as an a religion with an official agreement with the government of Italy and eligible to receive direct taxpayer funding for its religious and social activities. Twelve other religious denominations share this status. [11] [12]

Organization

The SGI is closely linked to the Soka Gakkai (the domestic Japanese organization), although both are headquartered in Tokyo. [13] "National branches enjoy some autonomy in certain matters. However, control over SG rests in Japan and the leadership of the movement is almost exclusively Japanese", according to scholar Karel Dobbelaere. [14] The Tokyo headquarters also disseminate doctrinal and teaching materials to national organizations. [15]

The election or nomination of leaders is not decided by the SGI's general membership but by a board of directors. [16] Leadership below national staff, however, has been liberalized.

Beliefs and social engagement

Taplow Court SGI centre in Buckinghamshire, England Taplow court north.jpg
Taplow Court SGI centre in Buckinghamshire, England

SGI says its members incorporate social interaction and engagement into their Buddhist practice. [17] Monthly neighborhood discussion meetings are generally held at the homes of SGI members. [18]

In 2008, the SGI-USA, which is headquartered in California, publicly opposed that state's Proposition 8 (which sought to prevent same-sex marriage), and coordinated with other progressive religious groups to support same-sex couples' right to legally marry. [19] [20]

In 2012, then-President of the Republic of China Ma Ying-jeou remarked that the Taiwan Soka Association had been recognized for its involvement the past 16 years in the general welfare of society, education and religious teaching, highlighting its disaster rescue and relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Morakot in 2009. [21]

Initiatives promoting peace, culture and education

The SGI defines itself as a "movement for contributing to peace, culture and education" based on its "interpretation and practical application of the ideas in the Lotus Sutra." [22] SGI promotes its engagement on issues including human rights, sustainable development and peace building. [23]

Nuclear disarmament

Since 2007, the SGI has collaborated with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to develop educational programs and raise awareness on nuclear disarmament, particularly among young people. ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. [24]

According to Pax Christi International, on March 28, 2017, a joint statement of Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons, initiated by the SGI, was delivered by Pax Christi Philippines during the first UN negotiating conference for the treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. [25]

Environmental awareness

The SGI also promotes environmental initiatives through educational activities such as exhibitions, lectures and conferences, and more direct activities such as tree planting projects and the SGI's Amazon Ecological Conservation Center, which is administered by SGI-Brazil. [26] The center is engaged in reforestation, the creation of a regional seed bank, and experiments in sustainable agroforestry. [27]

Aid work

The SGI conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster-stricken regions. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, local Soka Gakkai facilities became refugee shelters and distribution centers for relief supplies. Efforts also included worldwide fundraising for the victims, youth groups, and spiritual support. [28] [29]

In 2014, SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to emergency services and refugee centers after that country's devastating Iquique earthquake. [30]

Interfaith dialogue

In 2015, SGI-USA was part of the organizing committee that convened a day-long conference in Washington, DC of 125 Buddhist leaders to discuss Buddhism and civic activism in the United States. The conference identified climate change and the environment, education and peace and disarmament as popular priorities. [31]

International perception

In 2015, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi signed an agreement that recognizes the Soka Gakkai as a "Concordat" (It: "Intesa") that grants the religions status in "a special 'club' of denominations consulted by the government in certain occasions, allowed to appoint chaplains in the army – a concordat is not needed for appointing chaplains in hospitals and jails – and, perhaps more importantly, to be partially financed by taxpayers' money." Eleven other religious denominations share this status. [11] [12]

In 1998, the final paper of the Select (Enquete) Commission of the German Parliament on new religions and ideological communities came to the conclusion that, due to its connection to the Soka Gakkai, which is significant and controversial elsewhere, the German branch (SGI-D) is "latently problematic" even though it was inconspicuous at that time. [32] Seiwert condemned the methodology and political intrigue surrounding this committee's work and final report and pointed out that in 1999 the new government coalition ignored the policy recommendations of the committee. [33] Despite the fact that the majority of the commission were critics of new religious movements, the commission concluded that new religions and ideological communities presented no threat to the state or society. [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nichiren Buddhism</span> Branch of Mahayana Buddhism

Nichiren Buddhism, also known as Hokkeshū, is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura period schools. Its teachings derive from some 300–400 extant letters and treatises either authored by or attributed to Nichiren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nichiren Shōshū</span> Branch of Nichiren Buddhism

Nichiren Shōshū is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the traditionalist teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282), claiming him as its founder through his senior disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of Head Temple Taiseki-ji, near Mount Fuji. The lay adherents of the sect are called Hokkeko members. The Enichizan Myohoji Temple in Los Angeles, California serves as the temple headquarters within the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soka Gakkai</span> Japanese Buddhist religious movement

Soka Gakkai is a Japanese Buddhist religious movement based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren. It claims the largest membership among Nichiren Buddhist groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisaku Ikeda</span> Japanese buddhist leader (1928–2023)

Daisaku Ikeda was a Japanese Buddhist leader, author, philosopher, educator and businessman. He served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, the largest of Japan's new religious movements. At this time, he became a controversial leader, in Japan and abroad.

The Kōmeitō, also known as the Kōmei Party and Clean Government Party (CGP), was a political party in Japan, initiated by Daisaku Ikeda, and described by various authors as the "political arm" of Soka Gakkai.

<i>Gohonzon</i> Term for a venerated object in Japanese Buddhism, specifically Nichiren Buddhism

Gohonzon (御本尊) is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. The term gohonzon typically refers to the mainstream use of venerated objects within Nichiren Buddhism, referring to the calligraphic paper mandala inscribed by the 13th Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren to which devotional chanting is directed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese new religions</span> New religious movements founded in Japan since mid-19th century

Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. In Japanese, they are called shinshūkyō (新宗教) or shinkō shūkyō (新興宗教). Japanese scholars classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as "new religions"; thus, the term refers to a great diversity and number of organizations. Most came into being in the mid-to-late twentieth century and are influenced by much older traditional religions including Buddhism and Shinto. Foreign influences include Christianity, the Bible, and the writings of Nostradamus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jōsei Toda</span> Educator and second president of Soka Gakkai

Jōsei Toda was a teacher, peace activist and second president of Soka Gakkai from 1951 to 1958. Imprisoned for two years during World War II under violating the Peace Preservation Law and the charge of lèse-majesté from against the war, he emerged from prison intent on rebuilding the Soka Gakkai. He has been described as the architect of the Soka Gakkai, the person chiefly responsible for its existence today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsunesaburō Makiguchi</span> Educator and founding president of Soka Gakkai

Tsunesaburō Makiguchi was a Japanese educator who founded and became the first president of the Sōka Kyōiku Gakkai, the predecessor of today's Soka Gakkai.

Nikken Abe was a Japanese Buddhist monk who served as the 67th High Priest of Nichiren Shōshū and chief priest of Taiseki-ji head Temple in Fujinomiya, Japan.

Clark Strand is an American author and lecturer on spirituality and religion. A former Zen Buddhist monk, he was the first Senior Editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He left that position in 1996 and moved to Woodstock, NY, US to write and teach full-time.

Karel Dobbelaere is a Belgian educator and noted sociologist of religion. Dobbelaere is an Emeritus Professor of both the University of Antwerp and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Louvain) in Belgium. He is past-President and General Secretary of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion.

Minoru Harada is a Japanese Buddhist leader. He is the sixth president of the Soka Gakkai from 9 November 2006. He is also the Supreme Advisor of Sōka University and the Acting President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI).

<i>Seikyo Shimbun</i>

The Seikyo Shimbun is a Japanese newspaper. It is owned by the Japanese Buddhist religious movement Soka Gakkai. In 1997, it claimed a 5,5 million circulation, but the number is controversial and impossible to verify.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosen-rufu</span> Phrase in the Japanese translation of the Lotus Sutra

Kōsen-rufu (広宣流布), a phrase found in the Japanese translation of the Buddhist scripture Lotus Sutra, is informally defined to as "world peace through individual happiness." It refers to the future widespread dissemination of the Lotus Sutra.

Bodhisattvas of the Earth, also sometimes referred to as "Bodhisattvas from the Underground," "Bodhisattvas Taught by the Original Buddha," or "earth bodhisattvas," are the infinite number of bodhisattvas who, in the 15th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, emerged from a fissure in the ground. This pivotal story of the Lotus Sutra takes place during the "Ceremony in the Air" which had commenced in the 11th chapter. Later, in the 21st chapter, Shakyamuni passes on to them the responsibility to keep and propagate the Lotus Sutra in the feared future era of the Latter Day of the Law.

The Human Revolution is a roman à clef written by Daisaku Ikeda, the third and honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, chronicling the efforts of Jōsei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, to construct this Buddhist organization upon his release from Sugamo Prison at the end of World War II. The Human Revolution has sold millions of copies and served as the source of two films of the same name produced by Toho Company and directed by Toshio Masuda. The novel was self-published and printed in 30 volumes.

Zadankai are monthly group discussions held by the members of the buddhist organization Soka Gakkai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Causton (author)</span> British author and businessman (1920–1995)

Richard George Causton was a British author, businessman, and the first chairman of the Soka Gakkai International in the UK (SGI-UK).

The Soka School System is a Japanese corporate body that oversees a series of kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools in Japan and several other countries as well as an educational support and research facility. It is part of a wider network of "Soka" schools which includes Soka University of Japan, Soka University of America, and Soka Women's College. In addition, it has a supportive relationship with several non-affiliated schools and research associations in countries outside of Japan.

References

  1. ↑ Gebert, Andrew. "Soka Gakkai". Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  2. ↑ McLaughlin, Levi (2012). Prohl, Inken; Nelson, John (eds.). Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions. Brill. p. 269. ISBN   978-90-04-23436-9. Today, the group has a self-declared membership of 8.27 million households in Japan and more than 1.5 million adherents in 192 countries abroad under its overseas umbrella organization Soka Gakkai International, or SGI. Recent scholarship challenges theses figures and points to a figure in the neighborhood of two percent of the Japanese population.
  3. ↑ McLaughlin, Levi (2012). "Soka Gakkai in Japan". In Prohl, Inken; Nelson, John (eds.). Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions. Brill. pp. 269–308. ISBN   978-90-04-23436-9. Today, the group has a self-declared membership of 8.27 million households in Japan and more than 1.5 million adherents in 192 countries abroad under its overseas umbrella organization Soka Gakkai International, or SGI. Recent scholarship challenges theses figures and points to a figure in the neighborhood of two percent of the Japanese population.
  4. ↑ "UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Meets Youth Representatives of Soka Gakkai Japan and of SGI-USA Engaged in Disarmament Issues". United Nations. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 N. Radhakrishnan. The Living Dialogue: Socrates to Ikeda. Gandhi Media Centre. OCLC   191031200.
  6. ↑ Jaura, Ramesh. "SPECIAL REPORT: Peace Impulses from Okinawa". Global Perspectives. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Laderman, Gary (2003). Religion and American Cultures: An Encyclopedia of Traditions, Diversity, and Popular Expressions. ABC CLIO. ISBN   9781576072387.
  8. 1 2 Ronan Alves Pereira (2008). "The transplantation of Soka Gakkai to Brazil: building "the closest organization to the heart of Ikeda-Sensei"". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies.
  9. ↑ Strand, Clark (Winter 2008). "Faith in Revolution". Tricycle. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Prebish, Charles (1999). Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America . University of California Press. ISBN   9780520216976.
  11. 1 2 "Religion in the Italian Constitution". Georgetown University. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai". Governo Italiano. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Métraux, Daniel (2013). "Soka Gakkai International: The Global Expansion of a Japanese Buddhist Movement". Religion Compass. 7 (10): 423–432. doi:10.1111/rec3.12070.
  14. ↑ Dobbelaere, Karel (1998). Soka Gakkai. Signat.
  15. ↑ Métraux, Daniel (2013). "Soka Gakkai International: Japanese Buddhism on a Global Scale". Virginia Review of Asian Studies.
  16. ↑ "Governance Policy #3 - Leaders" (PDF).
  17. ↑ Dobbelaere, Karel (2001). Soka Gakkai: From Lay Movement to Religion. Signature Books. ISBN   978-1560851530.
  18. ↑ Lebron, Robyn E. (2012). Searching For Spiritual Unity...Can There Be Common Ground. CrossBooks. ISBN   978-1462712625.
  19. ↑ Dart, John (July 1995). "U.S. Buddhist Group Approves Marriage Rites for Gays". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "Mormons urged to back ban on same sex marriage". SF Gate. 2008-06-25. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  21. ↑ "President Ma meets Japan's Soka Gakkai International Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda". Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan). 4 June 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  22. ↑ Kawada, Yoichi (2009). "The SGI Within the Historical Context of Buddhism—and Its Philosophical Basis" (PDF). The Journal of Oriental Studies. 19: 103. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  23. ↑ "SGI Charter". Soka Gakkai International. n.d. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  24. ↑ "ICAN Partnered With SGI Wins 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for Work Toward Abolition of Nuclear Weapons". Lion's Roar Magazine. 2017-10-31. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  25. ↑ "Watch: Interfaith statement delivered at UN nuclear weapons negotiations". Independent Catholic News (ICN). 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  26. ↑ Dessì, Ugo (2013). "'Greening Dharma': Contemporary Japanese Buddhism and Ecology". Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture. 7 (3): 339–40. doi:10.1558/jsrnc.v7i3.334 . Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ Seager, Richard (2006), Encountering the Dharma, Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 192
  28. ↑ "Sendai UN Disaster Panel". Pan Orient News. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  29. ↑ "Grassroot responses to the Tohoku earthquake of 11 March 2011" (PDF). Anthropology Today Vol. 28, June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  30. ↑ Blumberg, Antonia (2014-06-17). "Yes, Religion Can Still Be A Force For Good In The World. Here Are 100 Examples How". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  31. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (2015-05-12). "A political awakening for Buddhists? 125 U.S. Buddhist leaders to meet at the White House". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  32. ↑ Endbericht der Enquete-Kommission Sogenannte Sekten und Psychogruppen, Page.105 (PDF; 6,5 MB)|quote=Some groups have little significance nationally, they are not involved locally in any serious political controversy and/or have attracted little public censure. Nevertheless, they remain a latent problem through being linked to international organisations that are significant and controversial elsewhere. One such example came to light at the hearing of Soka Gakkai, which in Germany is a fairly inconspicuous group of about 3,000 people, but is highly significant in Japan, the United States, etc. (Translated at http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/german_enquete_commission_report.htm)
  33. ↑ Seiwert, Hubert (2004). Richardson, James T. (ed.). Regulating Religion Case Studies from Around the Globe. Boston, MA: Springer US. pp. 85–102. ISBN   9781441990945.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  34. ↑ Schoen, Brigitte (2004). Lucas, Phillip Charles; Robbins, Thomas (eds.). New Religious Movements in the 21st Century. Routledge. pp. 89–90. ISBN   9781135889012. As the commission was initiated at the request of ciritics of new religions, and as the majority of the commission's members can be counted among critics, the commission's results were all the more surprising. It concluded that at present new religions and ideological communities and psychotherapy groups presented no danger to state and society or to socially relevant areas.

Further reading

Official SGI websites

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.